Page 87 of Cattle Stop

“You’re the one who married her.”

“Happily so, though I know you won’t ever believe me. Different strokes.”

“Yeah, yeah, different folks.”

“You’re my absolute favorite, Cooper.”

At least I’m someone’s, he thinks.

“Thanks,” he mumbles.

“I love you so much,” she says, and he sniffs as he hangs up, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

It buzzes with a series of texts he ignores, his mom probably apologizing and Terry telling him she loves him again. Same old, same old.

He knows how this one goes: call Terry back tonight, she’ll tell him that he’s so loved all over again, that he does deserve better but his mom isn’t good at this type of thing and that she’s so sorry. And then nothing will change, not next time he goes down to the city, not even if he stays here at Drew’s for years, for decades.

Oregon is delightfully, wonderfully so far away, such a bright, shining ideal of a transcontinental flight that could’ve soothed the sting of the lack of visits. Cooper works the heel of his hand into his forehead. The last person who really wanted him around other than Terry was Cheryl, and he just had to go and fuck that up too.

I tell you everything important, Cooper hears in Whit’s voice all over again.

So what the hell does that make me? he thinks.

Slowly, he pulls his phone out of his pocket. Sure enough, there are the texts he was expecting. He swipes them away and scrolls through his email until he finds the right number.

Three hours behind in Oregon. Cooper chews on the inside of his cheek as the phone rings, and he’s ready to leave a voicemail when Cheryl says, “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Cooper, Cooper Langston. We talked a couple weeks ago, and I’m calling back, uh, now.”

“Cooper, of course, it’s good to hear from you.”

Cooper squeezes his eyes shut. Good to hear from him. A polite line, in all probability. Professionalism smoothing away any irritation with him.

But still. It sounds nice.

“Look,” Cooper says, “I know I didn’t do a particularly good job with actually heading out west earlier this summer and gave you the runaround, but if you still have any interest at all in hiring me, I could be there by the start of next week.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again.”

“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t really expecting to call.”

She lets out a gentle laugh into the phone. Thanks, but no, he’s ready to hear. He’ll go up into the loft, scoop up Socks, and hide with him in the fort of Whit’s tiny hay bales. Just stay there until he can face today, with its heat and his building headache and Whit’s I tell you everything important.

“My answer isn’t different, Cooper. We need someone who’ll work this summer and stay for the fall. If you’re here and then gone again come the end of August, I’m not interested.”

“That’s fair.” Cooper takes a deep breath. “I think I’d told you, I have some friends who needed a hand, but that’s all wrapped up now. And I—I think I’m really ready for a change. I’d be yours through at least the fall.”

“You’re sure?”

“Just give me the time to drive out there, that’s all I’ll need. And look, I get it if you don’t want to take the chance, but I work hard, I’m good at solving the problems that come with farming, I really enjoy working with animals, and everything I liked about your farm when I applied still matters. And you liked me as an applicant, which meant a lot. I’m sorry I was an ass and couldn’t commit, but I am now.”

“You’re still an ass now?”

Cooper lets out a short laugh. Oh hell, he might end up liking her. “Well yeah, probably, but I meant, you tell me what time work starts next week and I’ll be there.”

“You got a place to stay?”

“I’ll figure something out.”